Meet Hanna

Founder /CEO - BalleX Instructor and Dance Teacher: Contemp

Hanna is a Chicago born and raised artist. After graduating Highschool in 2004, Hanna joined River North Dance Chicago. Spending 12 years here, Hanna toured the world

performing, eventually becoming rehearsal director and also getting her first break as a professional choreographer.

Following RNDC, Hanna then joined Visceral Dance Chicago , where she continued to dance for two more seasons, and rehearsal directed for the company.

Now you can find her touring the world teaching her unique blend of Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary styles. Setting works from Telvision commercials , Professional dance companies, Dance Teams, and nationally recognized dance studios.

Hanna loves to create and share! She is also now currently on faculty with Dance Makers Convention teaching ballet.

Hanna Elisabeth continues to expand to more. Now having created and founded the

Company BalleX. A dancer crosstraining online tness studio. Bringing her technique and athletisism into a fitness format, this program offers ballet and physical therapy forward

workouts to create stronger dancers, for longer careers.

Recognition for her craft has been shared in Dance Magazine multiple times, along with a Princess Grace Dancer Nominee and Choreographic Nominee. She most recently was named the 2025 Emerging Choreographer YAGP.

Meet Reagan

Studio Manager / BalleX Instructor/Dance Teacher: Jazz

 A dancer, teacher, choreographer, and fitness instructor originally from Houston, TX. She started her dance journey as a competitive dancer till the age of sixteen. After years in the competition world, Reagan wanted to take a more pre-professional and performance approach to her training. She was a member of the METtoo Youth Company, under the direction of Marlana Doyle and Genene Wallis-McGrath. The combination of competition dance and performance training has helped shape her into the dancer is she today!

In May of 2022, Reagan received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Sam Houston State University with a minor in Mass Communication. She is a founding member of WhirlWind Dance Company, under the direction of Joshua Manculich, and danced with them full-time for the past two years in Columbus, Ohio. She was also the assistant director of the WyND Dance Program working closely with Tiffany Frost Leider. While in Columbus, Ohio, she found her love of fitness and teaching fitness classes through the way of Pure Barre which she has been teaching for the past year. 

Reagan is excited for this new adventure in Chicago working closely with Hanna and BalleX. She cannot wait to share her love of dance and fitness with the Chicago community!

Meet Simone

BalleX Instructor/Dance Teacher

An Atlanta native, began her dance training at En Pointe School of Dance in Lilburn, Ga under the direction of Kathy Thomas. Following her high school graduation, Simone took a semester gap before enrolling at Kennesaw State University, from which she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Minor in Anthropology in the summer of 2017. Upon moving to Chicago in 2018, the recent grad studied on scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studio under the guidance of Claire Bataille, Laura Wade, and Ethan Kirschbaum. For several years following graduation, Simone pursued a freelance career in Chicago before auditioning for and being welcomed into Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's main company in 2021. Since joining the company, Simone has been recognized as one of Dance Magazine's 25 To Watch, expanded her community locally and nationally as an instructor and mentor, and returned as faculty at her Alma Mater's annual summer intensive. Stepping into this new chapter with BalleX, Stevens is most excited to continue to grow her Chicago movement community and strengthen herself and others physically in new and familiar ways. 

Meet Craig

Craig D. Black Jr. from San Jose, CA is a dancer, educator, stager, and the Rehearsal Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He was appointed to this  role in 2022 for the company’s 45th Anniversary: Sapphire Season. 

At the age of ten Craig began dancing at South Bay Dance Center and continued  his dance training at Abraham Lincoln High School for the Performing and Visual  Arts. In 2011, Craig received his BFA from The Juilliard School. He obtained  additional training at Springboard Danse Montréal, Nederlands Dans Theater, and  the School at Jacob’s Pillow. Craig is a recipient of the 2010 Princess Grace Award  in Dance as well as the 2011 Lorna Strassler Award for Student Excellence from  the School at Jacob’s Pillow. 

For six seasons Craig performed and toured with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet under the direction of Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty. In 2017, Craig joined  Hubbard Street Dance Chicago where he danced for five seasons before  transitioning into the HSDC Rehearsal Director position. Now in his fourth season  as rehearsal director, Craig has been a guest artist with HSDC and the Lar  Lubovitch Dance Company, a guest rehearsal director for FLOCK, and a stager for  Alejandro Cerrudo. He has had the privilege of dancing works by Kyle Abraham,  Aszure Barton, Cherice Barton, Rena Butler, Alejandro Cerrudo, Peter Chu, Nacho  Duato, Jorma Elo, William Forsythe, Rennie Harris, Johan Inger, Jirí Kylián,  Fernando Melo, Robyn Mineko-Williams, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, and  Cayetano Soto Ramirez among many others. 

Craig has had the pleasure of co-choreographing and rehearsal directing Cardi B  and Offset’s 2019 BET Awards performance as well as assisting Robyn Mineko Williams with the official music video for Sen Morimoto’s Pressure on the Pulse. 

Craig is a passionate teacher and mentor. He is certified in IMAGE TECH for  Dancers™ introductory through advanced level. He has been a guest company  class instructor for DanceAspen, Giordano Dance Chicago, and South Chicago  Dance Theatre. Additionally, Craig is on faculty for Dupree Dance and has served  as guest faculty for the Hubbard Street Professional Program, The Joffrey  Academy, New York City Dance Alliance, Peridance Center, and Steps on Broadway.

Meet Taylor

Taylor Yocum began her dance career in Spokane, Washington studying ballet at Spokane Ballet Studio under the direction of Sara Donnelly. She graduated in December of 2021 with a BFA from SUNY Purchase College where she attended on a merit scholarship. During her time at college, she was selected to study abroad in Beijing, China at Beijing Dance Academy. Taylor is a company member and co-rehearsal assistant of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre. Taylor also serves as a choreographic assistant to Stephanie Martinez. Yocum has previously performed with Trinity Irish Dance Company, South Chicago Dance Theatre and the Lyric Opera of Chicago as “Maneulita '' and as a dancer in the production of Carmen. Taylor has choreographed for Danceworks Chicago and Thodos Dance Chicago’s New Dances, COMMON Conservatory, Trifecta Dance Festival, Creature Space NYC and was the Associate Movement Director alongside Stephanie Martinez for A.R.T’s world premiere of Kate Hamill’s “The Odyssey”.